We caught up with Norwegian pop, indie, dance, synth, electro and disco artist Dagny before her Dublin gig at The Academy! (with thanks to MCD).
- You’ve a wide range of songs & sounds but I was wondering what song you think captures you the best? or that you’d recommend to someone who hasn’t heard Dagny before? I would generally make people listen to Somebody or It’s Only A Heartbreak!
So nice to hear – we actually played It’s Only a Heartbreak for the first time live at my Oslo Spektrum show in November! A good starting point could of course be to start at the beginning; with my first single ‘Backbeat’, and do a deep dive from there. Or you could always start with my main single ‘Somebody’ from my debut album Strangers / Lovers. But ‘Heartbreak In The Making’ is very much a song that captures me the best at this very moment. So that’s three good options!
2) Who were some of the bands/singers that made you want to become a singer?
This is a tough one, but I’d say; the Spice Girls (I’m a child of the 90s), Eva Cassidy (she made me wanna pick up the acoustic guitar and become a songwriter at the age of 15) and Feist (I loved her through my teenage years and early 20s). My mother is also a singer (Marit Sandvik) and she’s been a huge influence on me – there was always music in the house when we were growing up and I love when she’s sitting at the piano in our living room at home in Tromso!
3) Is there any moment that you credit that helped get you to where you are now? whether it’s a radio show playing your songs, a specific gig that got the word? or anything else that has you now touring across Europe, selling out the OsloSpektrum etc?
It’s hard to pinpoint one, because it’s been lots of small moments and only when you zoom out do you see the bigger picture! I’m really lucky that most of my team have been working with me since the early years of playing gigs in London, and they’ve been a huge part of the journey. There have been so many amazing musical & career moments that I could highlight, but I don’t think any of them would have happened, had I not made the spontaneous decision to move to London when I was 21!
4) Any advice you’d give to people starting out? or anything you think you’d do differently knowing what you know now?
Oh where to begin – hindsight is a wonderful thing! I think my biggest pieces of advice would be:
1. Find people that you love to work with
2. Trust your gut, always!
3. Take your time and spend time learning your craft, whether it’s songwriting, playing the guitar or singing.
4. Always get a second opinion before signing a contract!
5. Don’t give up. Working with music is a roller coaster: one day you think you’d be better off just quitting and the next day you have the most amazing time and feel like you actually know what you’re doing, ha ha. That’s just part of it and everyone has those highs and lows.
5) Any songs/bands you’ve had on repeat at the moment?
I’ve been listening to Muna a lot in the recent year! And Boygenius! But I’ve also been obsessed with old bangers like ‘Take Your Mama’ by Scissor Sisters and ‘You Got It’ by Roy Orbison. Dunno why,but they just put me in such a good mood. And so far, 2024 has been such a nice year, so I’m drawn to anything that highlights that mood!
6) Finally, have you any good memories of Dublin if you’ve been before? or have you anything on your To Do List for when you’re here for your show?
I’ve been to Dublin a bunch over the years for shows, studio & writing trips, so I’ve got many good memories. Last time we played in Dublin we supported ‘Picture This’ for five nights at the 3Arena, which was amazing! I’m also a huge fan of vintage clothing, so hopefully I’ll get a bit of time to go thrift shopping in town, as I’m told there are some great stores 🙂 And Guinness of course. I always drink lots of beer when in Dublin, and I’m planning to keep that tradition, haha
Left Of The Dial Music 